The Clumsy Assassin
by theAirshipLibrarian
Summary: After the Chosen of Sylvarant starts her journey, the Tethe'allans world starts to weaken. Sheena Fujibyashi is called upon to kill Colette, but assassinating a Chosen is harder than it seems. Rated T for mild swearing  she is Sheena...  and violence.
1. Chapter 1

"We're counting on you, Sheena." Kuchinawa stood with his arms folded over his chest, watching me board the Rheaird that would take me to dying world of Sylvarant. I winced inwardly as I felt the true meaning of his words. _Don't mess up like you did with Volt, Sheena. This is your chance to finally repay the village for all they've done for you. Even after you killed so many of us. Maybe if you succeed, you won't be considered such a failure. _

I simply nodded and then turned to Tiga- the acting chief. The real chief, well, he was a bit sick at the moment. Just a small coma that he'd been in since a certain incident. I shook my head, dislodging these uncomfortable thoughts. "I'll try my hardest."

"We expect no less," Tiga said. I forced myself not to look down, but to meet his eyes. They, like the eyes of everyone else in the village, were filled with doubt. They didn't truly trust me. Tthat was to be expected. One couldn't say that I'd done anything deserve their trust.

"Well, I'll be going now," I said, breaking the uncomfortable silence. I climbed onto the flying machine and it roared into life, taking me through the portal and into another world. Sylvarant.

"Sheena." A soft voice sounded in my ear and I smiled. "Sheena, are you scared?"

"A little bit, Corrine. I can't help but I wonder what would happen if I failed again."

The little, cat-like spirit rubbed against my side, his blue wings fluttering gently. "Sheena will not fail," he said. "Corrine will help Sheena and together they'll save Tethe'alla.

"Thanks Corrine," I said, laughing gently. While he didn't have much fighting abilities, he certainly did help me believe in my own abilities. He had been by my side for a few years now and I wasn't sure what I'd do without him to keep me cheerful

"Now..." I took a good look around me. I'd landed in a desert, it would seem. The air was so deprived of mana that it was suffocating. The sjy was darker here and I understood exactly what was meant when someone referred to a dying world. And this was what Tethe'alla would become if I didn't succeed in my mission.

"I will succeed," I told myself firmly. "For Tethe'alla and for Mizuho."

"Sheena, where are you going to find the chosen?"

"I don't know yet, Corrine. If it's the same as the procedure in Tethe'alla, the chosen should be traveling to the different summon spirits, but I don't know where they are here." I sat down on the hot sand to think. "If it's anything like home, the chosen is really important. Asking questions in any city should tell us what we need to know."

"I wonder if this chosen is like Zelos."

"Doesn't really matter, though for their sake, I hope not. But still, whatever the personality, we'll still have to assassinate the person." I got to my feet, peering around the desert for some signs of life. "The sooner we kill this chosen, the better."

"Sheena, look!" Corrine pawed my leg and I looked down at him. "There are people over there."

I followed Corrine's gaze and looked at the group of travelers. There were only three of them, all boys. They looked poor, probably lived around these parts and worked for a living. Honest folk. They would help me.

"Excuse me," I said, waving at the boys.

"Uh, yes?" the tallest and oldest one answered.

"I'm a traveler and I want to go the nearest town." I let them connect the dots and the youngest one nodded.

"Sure. In fact, we're on the way to Triet. You could come with us."

"Thanks," I smiled at them. While we were walking, I'd ask questions about the chosen one.

"So," I began. "The chosen has finally started the journey of regeneration, huh?"

"Yes," the last boy, I couldn't quite gauge his age, spoke up excitedly. "She's amazing."

_It's a girl, then. _

"Mhmm, Colette will definitely regenerate the world," the oldest said. "Though, she's known to be a bit clumsy and airheaded, so I'm a bit worried."

"She'll be fine," the smallest said. "She has guards to protect her."

"Isn't one of the guards the person who got the village of Iselia burned?"

"I heard that somewhere too. Isn't he just a kid who makes mistakes?"

"I hope the chosen will be all right..."

I listened carefully to their words, growing more confident as they described Colette and the people who were "protecting" her. My ninja training would enable me to defeat these guys quickly. I smiled with relief. I'd be back home soon; my honor once more intact. Success was practically a guarantee, I thought.

How wrong I was.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

Triet was a dry town. I found the sand and the hot air tiring. Somehow the locals found the energy to do their jobs and bustle about. And what a bustle it was. There were people gathering around a board in the center of the town. I pushed myself through the crowd to get a good look at the wanted paper pinned there. There was a drawing of a boy with brown, spiky hair. The name Lloyd Irving was written on the bottom in large letters.

"Isn't he one of The Chosen's companions?"

"He was here with The Chosen One just a few days ago?"

"Didn't the Desians come here and attack them?"

"They got away, right?"

I tapped on one of the civilians' shoulder. "Where do you think they'll go next?"

The people who had been talking looked at me warily.

"Well, I think the next seal is to the east," the girl looked to her companion for confirmation.

"Yes," the other agreed. "The water temple is at the Thoda Geyser to the east. You have to go through the Ossa Valley to get there."

"Thank you," I said with a smile and then slipped my hand into my pocket. I dropped the Gald into the hands of the two and then continued to walk about the town, keeping my eyes open for the crescent moon that decorated inns.

"Would you like a room? It's one hundred gald a night."

"Yes, thank you." I was given a key and I went up the stairs, into the room that would be mine for the night.

"Sheena, this town is hot." Corrine appeared at my side suddenly, but not surprisingly. He always showed up when other people weren't around.

"It's in a desert, Corrine. I'd be confused if it wasn't hot. If this place were cold, well, it'd be like Flanoir being hot."

Corrine giggled. "That's a funny thought."

Picturing the snowy Flanoir as a desert brought a smile to my face as well and I chuckled. "This is ridiculous," I said, still laughing. "We must be overtired."

"Go to sleep then."

"I'm going. I'm going."

The Ossa Valley Trail was green and easy on the feet. The only things you had to look out for were the many monsters, but being a ninja and all... it wasn't hard for me to dodge them.

I had a hill in the valley and crouched down only a few minutes before I heard voices. A group of people came into view. Leading the way was the boy I had seen on the wanted poster. Lloyd Irving. Beside him was a smaller child with grey hair that went all over the place. He carried a kendama; a typical weapon used for magic by elves and half-elves. On the other side of Lloyd was a girl with brightly colored wings coming out of her back. She was The Chosen. Behind this trio, were two older travelers. The first was a tall woman with white hair similar to the small boys. She sported a staff that marked her as a healer and magician. The very last of the party was a magic-swordsman. From my experience, I could tell that he would be the most dangerous of the group. If I wanted to assassinate The Chosen, I'd need to do it quickly and out of his reach.

I took a deep breath and then stood up, gathering my courage. "Stop," I commanded in a loud voice and jumped down, landing a few feet in front of my victims.


	3. Chapter 3

"What?" Lloyd's tone was of surprised and confusion, but he didn't seem frightened at all by a stranger jumping in front of him. In fact, none of the group looked scared.

"Is she a friend of yours, Lloyd?" The Chosen, Colette, looked from me to Lloyd with curiosity.

"Not that I'm aware of."

I shook my head, this was getting tedious. Better to get straight to the point. "Is the Chosen of Mana among you?"

"Oh, that's me!" The Chosen grinned at me and pointed to herself innocently. I resisted the urge to laugh. This was just too easy.

"Prepare to die!" I took out my cards and ran at her; ready to redeem myself and take my place in Mizuho as a hero once more.

"Huh?" Colette started to back away and then fell over a red lever. Red lever? How had I missed that? _I wonder what it does, _I thought briefly, but no, I had to kill the Chosen.

The ground opened up underneath me and as I fell into the earth, I heard three voices simultaneously going "uh oh."

_What's happening? _I thought as I fell. _Can The Chosen make the ground swallow people? Is it divine judgement? _

"Ugh." I hit the ground with a thump that knocked the wind out of my body. For fifteen minutes, I could only lie there, gasping for breath and breathing through the pain.

"Sheena, I think the lever opened a trap door." Corrine nuzzled me with his snout and I reached a hand up, wincing as it put pressure on bruises that were starting to develop.

"You know, Corrine, I think I could have figured that one out on my own."

"Sheena, does it hurt?" I laughed and then gasped as the pain shot through my torso.

"Doesn't hurt at all, Corrine. It's not like I just fell down a pit and landed on my back."

"Sheena, why don't eat something to make you feel better. You have healing gels in your bag, don't you?"

I blinked. He was right. "Thanks, Corrine."

I opened the apple gel bottle and took a sip of the slimy, thick liquid. "Ugh." It didn't taste good, but after drinking it, I felt energy return to my body and the pain lessened. Cautiously, I sat up. My head didn't swim, that was a good sign. I slowly got to my feet, relieved that my good luck held.

"Come on Corrine, we've got to catch up with them. Everyone is counting on me. We have to hurry." I started to run. It was too much strain on my body than what was good for it, but I ignored that and ran in the tunnel, squinting to see where I was going. I had to catch up with the Chosen and her group. For the good of Tethe'alla, I had to catch up.

The tunnel wound and twisted along, the ground ragged and hard to run on. After falling for the second time that day, I slowed down and started to walk slowly, my hand on the wall and placing my feet one after another. "I... need... to... get-" I trailed off. "Corrine, can you get another gel from my bag?" Corrine picked up my bag from where it lay a few feet away in his jaws and carried it over to me. I reached in and picked a bottle that read pineapple gel. I drank it and again the healing flooded my body and I was able to stand. Looking down at my chest, I saw that my bruises were beginning to fade due to the potions. "This is good. I feel refreshed and ready to fight."

I glanced at the dark tunnel in front of me and then took off at a run again, not stopping until I saw little beams of light shining through some wooden boards. This was it, the end of the tunnel. As I got closer, I heard the sound of discussion. Anger and determination took hold of me. _I will beat these people!_ I would succeed in my mission.

I pushed down the wooden door and blinked into the blinding sunlight. "W-wait."

"...Wow, she caught up with us." Lloyd stared at me with surprise.

Colette came... forward? Did she have a death wish? "Oh, thank goodness." I blinked, taken aback. After I had, no, _was _trying to kill, she was relieved that I was okay?

"D-don't move," I stammered, out of breath from my run and confused by her actions.

"A wise decision," the older woman behind Colette said. _What does that even mean? _I wondered. _No, I don't have time to let them throw me off. I need to win. _

"I won't be caught off guard this time," I said angrily. "Prepare to die!"


	4. Chapter 4

Despite their raggle-taggle appearance the Chosen's group fought ferociously. I hadn't been wrong when I predicted that the taller man would be the most dangerous. He fought with skill that must have been acquired and honed through many years of practice. More often than not, I would be kept in a corner, defending myself from his and Lloyd's attacks while the youngest boy cast spell after spell to torment me. The older woman constantly healed my opponents as I injured them. It was a losing battle.

I tried, however, to beat them. "Pyre seal," I commanded my cards and the seals knocked the tall man over. I leapt at him, slicing with my weapons and calling out commands. "Mirage seal!" "Power seal pinion!" Finally, I was on the offense, forcing them to block my attacks, even breaking through their guards. Adrenaline rushed through me. I might be able to succeed!

Lloyd came at me from behind and I whirled around to face him. "Pyre Seal!"

As he panted for breath, about to get up, I hit him once more and then focused on the magic user. A moment later, when three were getting up from the ground, I ran a ways off, ready to summon Corrine.

Summoning was an ancient art; those with the ability were few and far between. Somewhere, an elf must have been my ancestry for I had been able to learn the technique.

"I summon thee... Corrine!" The little animal popped out of seemingly nowhere, and then rushed forward, ready to defend me at the cost of his life. The healer gasped out in pain, striking out with her staff at my friend. While he had her occupied, I focused on the most immediate danger; Lloyd and the older man.

I tried my hardest to defend myself against them, but all was lost when a fireball rammed into my chest.

"Damn, " I fell to my knees, cursing myself. I had been defeated.

Again.

"Ugh..." How could I let this happen? I glared at the Chosen one and her group. "Just you wait! I swear I will kill you all next time!" Using the gifts I had been given by my village, I disappeared, a cloud of smoke taking my place.

"Sheena," Corrine nudged me gently, he was in pain as well. "Heal yourself, Sheena."

"Yeah, yeah," I muttered, still seething from my defeat. "I can't believe that I lost."

"You will win next time," Corrine said with all his naivety.

"They're just too strong," I said, my voice scaling higher. "I hate that I'm so weak and stupid!"

"You're not. You're strong and determined."

"Heh... Thanks Corrine, but I'm an idiot."

Corrine nuzzled me again, but even his kindness didn't bring me out of my mood.

_It's like before. I'll fail again. _


	5. Chapter 5

"Where are you gonna go next, Sheena?" After nursing my wounds and pride for a day, I remembered my duty and I started to pack my things from where I had camped in the wilderness outside of Palmacosta.

"I'll go to Palmacosta," I replied. "We'll stock up on resources and who knows; maybe we'll see the Chosen again. It'll be hard to kill her with so many people around though."

"Palmacosta is big, huh?"

"Nah," I said with a shrug. "It's the biggest in Sylvarant, but compared to almost any place in Tethe'alla, it's pretty small."

"Nothing like Meltokio," Corrine said.

I nodded and then stood. "Come on, let's go."

Palmacosta was a port city; ships were always coming and going, importing goods from various Sylvaranti towns.

I entered the city, breathing in the salty air. I was reminded of the beach in Altamira, except this wasn't so much a tourist attraction as a marketing town.

Corrine disappeared so as not to attract attention and I went to the potion shop. I would stock up on my resources for future adventures. A good ninja is always prepared.

As I walked throughout the town, I heard the villages praising the mayor, General Dorr, and the Chosen one.

"Did you hear?" I paused, pretending to stare at the potions and gels.

"What? You mean that the Chosen one is in town?"

"Yes! And General Dorr is putting together an army to protect the city from the Desians!"

"I knew that, silly. Everyone knows about Dorr and how he lost his wife tragically a few years back."

"He still has his daughter, right? Kilia?"

"Mhmm, she is sooo cute!"

"Ahaha," another girl entered, coming down the stairs in the back of the shop. "Isn't she?"

"Chocolat!"

I glanced at Chocolat. She had dark brown hair that suited her name. It was drawn into a pony tail and she was wearing and dress that was a pretty yellow colour- not that clothes interested me in any way.

"Did you see?" she was excited now, coming around to join the others. "The Chosen's group came her and bought a Palma potion. I got to see her with my very own eyes."

"What did she look like?"

"Well... She had short brown hair..."

I almost dropped the bottle I was holding. What? The Chosen did not have brown hair. It was long and blonde, like a field of wheat. Unless there were two chosens, but that wasn't the things were done.

"Tell us more!" The girls all crowded around each other and I went with my gels to the counter. When I had paid, I left the shop, lost in my thoughts. I wandered around the town, unsure of what to do. I wanted to get a look at the Governor-general Dorr, but I also wanted to see the other Chosen.

As it turned out, I was able to kill both birds with one stone. Not literally, of course.

At the mayor's home, a group of people came out, accompanied by an older blonde-haired man with a young girl beside him. The girl was dressed in a mauve dress and wore her blonde hair in pigtails. There was something odd about her, but I couldn't quite figure out what. Maybe it was all the tragedy she went through what with having her mother die. It's hard for a young girl. I should know.

The governor-general clasped the other Chosen's hand and beamed at her. "I'm so pleased, my dear, that you've started the regeneration process. Do your best."

"Yes, thank you, I will."

The others in the group chorused an agreement and then turned away to leave. I stood in their path.

"Hello there," I said.

"Hello," the Chosen answered, smiling benevolently. "Excuse me." She tried to step around me and I moved to block her path.

"Hey! Move aside." The kind, gentle, chosen-ness of her disappeared and she glared at me angrily. One of her friends moved up to try to push me away."

"You're not the Chosen," I said at last.

"W-what?"

"I said, you are not the chosen. I've met her." Tried to kill her.

"What are you saying?" The boy spoke up. "You shouldn't treat the Chosen so rudely! You're lucky that we're letting you off this time."

I sighed and then moved away. "Don't be foolish, you idiots. She's not the Chosen and you won't be able to trick people forever."

They just laughed and then went on their way.

_What idiots, _I thought. _Even I- and I'm not even from Sylvarant- could tell that they were fakes. _

Pushing thoughts of the fakes aside, I went down to the dock, considering my next choice of action. I stood at the end of the dock

and stared at the ship at the end. It was steampowered and incredibly small. My interest in machinery took over. I blame all the years at the Imperial Research academy. "Wow," I said aloud. "I'd heard they were behind the times, but this sure is an ancient design." I shook my head. "They can't possibly still be using steam as a power source?"

An angry voice came down from the ship's deck. "Hey! How dare you insult our Isabelle?"

I snorted. "Oh, shut up. What are you getting so worked up about? I'm..." I heard a gasp and then looked over to the side. I was face to face with the Chosen. "Uh... J-just remember," I said quickly. "You're dead the next time we meet!" I couldn't kill her here, with so many people. I quickly ran from the docks, leaving.

"Next time," I muttered under my breath. "Next time, I will do it."


End file.
